Helping you fund your college degree and more

Going to college can often be the best opportunity of your life. In today’s highly competitive workplace, having a college degree will put you ahead of other applicants and make your resume stand out more. Not only will it be great for your career, but going to college is also a great social time in your life, where you will meet new friends and build life-long relationships. The only bad part about college is having to pay for it. It can be difficult to pay for school if you are a college student on your own. Luckily, there are financial aid options available to help those that desire going to school, but maybe aren’t prepared to do so financially. Here are some tips on how to get financial aid for college, which will help you save money and also help you enjoy the experience more.

Expected Family Contribution

One of the first phrases that you’ll want to be familiar with as you enter college is EFC, or expected family contribution. This number represents what your family makes and will greatly determine what you will be able to qualify for in terms of student loans and financial aid. This number can sometimes be a little skewed, as there are plenty of situations where students receive no help from their parents, but are still claimed on their taxes and therefore the student does not receive the benefits they should get. Nonetheless, familiarizing yourself with your EFC level will help you when it comes to knowing what you may qualify for and the money you may be entitled to.

FAFSFA

Another site that you will want to familiarize yourself with during your time in college is FAFSA. The Free Application For Federal Student Aid is the go-to place for student loan information and other insights on how to attend college. Not only should you check FAFSA before you begin college, but you will also benefit if you rely on the site throughout your time in college to continually keep up with your loan information. Understanding how the site works and the best way to utilize it will benefit your overall understanding of student loans and financial aid.

Seek Help

With all of the money that you’ll be spending on tuition, books, fees, rent and everything else that it takes to be a student, it may be hard to stomach the idea of paying someone to help you with college. However asking the help of a college financial aid counselor can sometimes actually save you money and help you have a better understanding of the system. These people are paid to help college students who seek out their assistance, and they should try their hardest to help you save money. After all, the more money you save, the more money they can charge you. Financial aid counselors are familiar with new rules regarding college and the best ways to save money when going to school. Seeking their help doesn’t hurt and their advice can be worth it in the long run.

Be Aware Of Deadlines

When it comes to the government, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for missed deadlines. After all, there are hundreds-of-thousands of students applying for student aid each year. You can help yourself greatly by being aware of deadlines that are required for payments and requests for money. Missing a deadline by just a few hours can often mean having to put in a lot of effort to see if there is anything you can do to fix it. And in the worst case, you may be required to wait an entire semester or year before you can even apply again. Save yourself the headache by being aware of the deadlines and apply to them accordingly.

Know Your State

Each state has its own restrictions and regulations when it comes to financial aid requirements. You will want to be familiar with the state that you reside in, as well as the state that you are attending college in. The rules may vary and misunderstanding the rules could be detrimental to the aid that you receive. If you do all of the hard work to get into a school and only mess it up by misunderstanding the rules, you’ll be regretting it until you can reapply. Understanding that each state has its own rules and regulations will better prepare you for what to expect.

Be Understanding

With all of the people applying for financial aid, there are likely to be some bumps in the road. Paperwork gets misplaced, information gets lost and things simply happen. Even in today’s world of technology, there is no perfect answer to organize the plethora of applications that are submitted. The more understanding you are to the process, the less likely you are to get stressed about everything and the more smooth of a ride it will be. You can hope for the best and do your all to make sure things go smoothly, but some times things are just out of your hands. If you are willing to accept this and roll with the punches to keep things going in your favor, you’ll have an advantage over people who are continually stressed out about their loans.

Don’t Expect A Free Ride

You can surely find plenty of financial aid that will help lower the cost of college, but by no means should you expect to get enough aid that will allow you to attend school for free. At least, not for the entire time you are at school. The government wants to see people succeed and they also understand that college is a great opportunity to make that happen. Therefore, they will often help people when it means getting to college. But once you are there, you will need to do the other things that it takes to get by as a student. If you want to save more money on school, consider looking for scholarships or other financial reimbursement options. Another method is to get a job and pay for school out of pocket, or use the money you earn to pay for rent, groceries or other necessities, meaning you can take out less for a total student loan amount.

You have worked your entire life to get into college, so the process of receiving aid shouldn’t be something that you shy away from. After all, if you hadn’t prepared accordingly, you probably never would’ve gotten into college as it is. If you keep in mind the information presented here, you can better prepare yourself with the requirements and guidelines needed for getting student aid, making your entire college career much more enjoyable.

Going to college is a stressful time for any prospective student. For perhaps the first time, you’re making real life decisions about where to go to school, whether to live on- or off-campus, and whether to ease into things with a nice pottery class or go for broke with calculus. Perhaps the most momentous decision of all, though, is what exactly to study. A decision that big will set the course of the rest of your life, but fortunately, it doesn’t have to be made right away.

So When Exactly Do I Declare a Major?

Most colleges do not require you to formally select your major until the end of your sophomore year. In fact, some (including such illustrious schools as Vanderbilt and Duke) even require the student to wait for several semesters, although the majority allow declaration of a major as soon as the department approves it, which can be as early as your first semester. With so much time to think about it, there’s no need to worry that you have to set your life in stone right at the beginning of your college career.

Why Wait?

The majority of students will not know what they want to do right away when they enter college. NBC reports that as many as 80 percent of incoming freshman have not decided on a major, so if you need to wait, you’ve got a lot of company. Switching majors after you’ve declared can be quite costly in terms of time, not to mention the bridges burned with the previous department, so it can pay to wait until you’re sure. Once you’ve made up your mind, though, it’s worthwhile to declare your major as soon as possible, since you’ll be able to get more specific advisors and even some preferential treatment when getting enrolled in popular classes in your department.

What to Do Until You Declare

The far-off deadline can make it tempting to stick to the fun classes during your first few semesters, but giving in to that temptation could be a mistake. Every wasted class during the first semesters will need to be replaced later, and those extra credits will cost you extra money. Try to narrow down your potential majors and stick to classes within those majors. That way, you minimize the time you spend in unfocused study. You should also talk to your advisor to make sure the electives you take will fill the general education requirements of most departments in order to make sure you can use those credits later on. There’s nothing more frustrating than finishing up your major course-load only to find that you can’t graduate until you’ve taken another year’s worth of freshman humanities.

Deciding when to declare your major is all about finding the right balance. While waiting to declare can be costly in terms of wasted credits, declaring too soon can lead to an embarrassing and potentially expensive major change. Worse still, you might find yourself stuck with a degree in a subject you don’t really love. Don’t worry, though; with an educated approach and a solid plan, you can find the major that best suits you.

The Masters in Business Administration is a degree program that’s been around for more than 100 years. That fact alone gives some clues about the weight that it carries. MBA programs are now offered by a countless number of universities, with many offering specialties that focus in areas such as finance, economics and more. The MBA has become the go-to graduate degree for anyone looking to advance their career options or simply accelerate their understanding of the business world. Those who obtain an MBA have an unmatched amount of expertise, and this is the reason that it has become one of the most coveted degrees amongst employers.

For this ranking of the best online MBA programs, several key criteria were used to review and rank each university. AACSB accreditation played a major role in where each school ended up ranking. When a school receives a high rating from the AACSB, that means it’s leading the way in how it educates students, usually through some combination of education methods and faculty. Rankings from neutral sources were also taken into consideration to create this list. These are the types of rankings usually offered by outlets such as US News and World Report, where an independent third party performs a review of a school’s program based on the relevant criteria. The list of the top ten schools for an online MBA, as well as the tuition cost associated with each program, can be viewed below.

Given the popularity of healthcare as a career option and the decision by millions of college students to pursue nursing as a career, it’s no surprise that a master’s degree in nursing has become so popular. Hundreds of schools throughout the United States and the rest of the world offer a master’s program that focuses on nursing. It’s a popular degree because of the additional career opportunities that it opens up for candidates. While nursing is a very lucrative field already, a masters in nursing opens up the potential for a career with even more growth and responsibility. This extra potential is the reason that many people decide to pursue the degree.

A ranking of the top ten schools for an online masters in nursing are listed below. Every institution is properly accredited, but even more important is the fact that all of them have stellar reputations. Graduates from the programs offered by any of these schools are better equipped to advance their careers and land the position of their dreams. For anyone considering returning to school for a master’s in nursing, these schools are definitely worthy of consideration.

1. John Hopkins University
Cost – $33,168 per year for full-time study

2. Loyola University
Cost – $744 per credit

3. Duke University
Cost – $1,358 per credit

4. Drexel University
Cost – $800 per credit

5. Clarkson College
Cost – $437 per credit

6. Georgetown University
Cost – $21,000-$36,000 per year for full-time studies

7. University of Texas-Tyler
Cost – $338.23 per credit for residents; $689 per credit for non-residents

8. Sacred Heart University
Cost – $600 per credit

9. University of Florida
Cost – $11,954 per year for residents; $29,347 for non-residents

The popularity of online accounting degrees has soared in recent years. For people who enjoy business or who are particularly good with numbers, it’s a degree option that makes sense. Online accounting degrees allow students to develop a strong understanding of the accounting field, which is a field whose significance won’t be diminishing anytime soon. The online component of the degree makes it an enticing option not just for people who are interested in accounting, but also for people who don’t have the available time and resources to devote towards in-person full-time study.

For this list, universities were chosen based on the economics behind attending the school’s program. Tuition was taken into consideration, as were the merits of the program. All of these universities were picked for having excellent credentials, as well as for the level of flexibility offered by the course plan.

Every school listed here received strong rankings from U.S. News and World Report. In addition, they all received praise for the level of flexibility offered to students who wish to pursue a degree at their institution. Between those two criteria, anyone considering pursuing an online accounting degree will be in great position regardless of what school they ultimately choose.

1. Penn State University – Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Cost: $504-$542/credit hour

Master of Science in Nursing Degree programs provide registered nurses with advanced skills in nursing applications, leadership, healthcare laws and policies, and patient care coordination. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the field of nursing is expected to grow up to 26 percent over the next several years, which means that professionals in that arena are guaranteed to encounter jobs that are both plentiful and stable. For registered nurses who desire to continue to work while still obtaining an advanced degree, there are many exceptional colleges and universities that offer online Master of of Science in Nursing Degree programs today.

Each school that is mentioned below is respected by both the educational arena and students for providing some of the best online Master of Science in Nursing Degree programs. Many of those programs hold accreditation through a private entity, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

One of the biggest advantages of online degree programs is that they are usually more affordable than campus-based degree programs. All of the online Master of Science in Nursing Degree programs reviewed below are reasonably priced opportunities for educational advancement.

1. Johns Hopkins University
Degree Name: Master of Science in Nursing
Tuition Cost: $33,168 per year

2. Loyola University at New Orleans
Degree Name: Master of Science in Nursing
Tuition Cost: $744 per credit hour

Many secondary and post-secondary schools require that their educators possess both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in the field of education. Often times, those educators obtain a Masters in Special Education Degree which provides them with the tools that they need to help children and young adults with special needs learn, grow, and prosper in their communities. A great deal of individuals who acquire this advanced degree work as classroom aides, special education teachers, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists in both private and public educational facilities.

Online degree programs are desirable to many students because they are not only convenient and affordable, they are also flexible. The entire list that follows details some of the country’s most flexible online Masters in Special Education Degree programs.

Aside from being regionally, nationally, and/or privately credentialed, each of the schools below ranks among the best colleges and universities in the United States for its Masters in Special Education Degree program. As top-ranked, accredited educational facilities, individuals are guaranteed to be provided with the best opportunities for skill enrichment and career advancement in their field.

1. University of North Carolina
Degree Name: Master’s in Special Education
Tuition Cost: $292 per credit hour for residents of North Carolina; $322 per credit hour for non-residents of North Carolina

2. University of Arizona
Degree Name: Master of Arts in Special Education
Tuition Cost: $729 per credit hour for residents of Arizona; $1,423 per credit hour for non-residents of Arizona

3. Florida State University
Degree Name: Master of Science in Special Education Studies
Tuition Cost: $11,506 for residents of Florida; $26,716 for non-residents of Florida

4. Ball State University
Degree Name: Master of Arts in Special Education
Tuition Cost: $299 per credit hour for residents of Indiana; $506 per credit hour for non-residents of Indiana

5. Drexel University
Degree Name: Master of Science in Special Education
Tuition Cost: $3,150 per class

For organized individuals who possess strong analytical, critical thinking, and mathematical skills, there are many varieties of Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree programs that are offered by colleges and universities around the United States. These programs consist of around 120 credit hours of study and they are offered to applicants who hold at least a high school diploma. Upon graduation from Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree programs, individuals are rewarded with top-notch, stable, and growing careers as accountants, financial advisors, mortgage brokers, and managers.

Not all colleges and universities have a reputation for providing their students with quality, comprehensive degree programs. All 10 of the online Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree programs listed below are offered by distinguished, reputable institutions for secondary education.

All of the schools that are mentioned below are top-ranked, accredited educational facilities. Private entities, such as the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report, consistently list many of these schools on their lists of “the best.”

1. Penn State University
Degree Name: Bachelor of Science in Business-Accounting
Tuition Cost: between $504 and $542 per credit hour

Masters in Education Degree programs provide individuals who already possess a bachelor’s degree with an excellent opportunity to acquire advanced skills in teaching strategies and leadership principles. These skills are essential to their roles as high school teachers, college professors, school principals, and even behavioral therapists in educational facilities everywhere. Today, most elementary, middle, and high schools require that their teachers and educational leaders possess or pursue a Masters in Education Degree from an accredited college or university.

Unlike programs for bachelor’s degrees, master’s degree programs can usually be completed in two years or fewer. All of the online schools that are mentioned below offer Masters in Education Degree programs that can be completed in that time frame.

Aside from being conventient, online opportunities for educational advancement are also flexible and affordable. Each of the Masters in Education Degree programs that is reviewed below is provided online.

1. University of Southern California Rossier
Degree Name: Master’s of Arts in TeachingTuition Cost: $46,023 for part-time students; $45,518 for full-time students

3. Northern Illinois University
Degree Name: Master of Science in Education-Curriculum and InstructionTuition Cost: $335.62 per credit hour for residents of Illinois; $671.24 per credit hour for non-residents of Illinois

6. University of Nebraska at Kearney
Degree Name: Master’s of Education in Curriculum and InstructionTuition Cost: $269 per credit hour for residents of Nebraska; $418 per credit hour for non-residents of Nebraska

7. Brenau University
Degree Name: Master of Education in Early Childhood or Middle GradesTuition Cost: $540 per credit hour

8. Arizona State University
Degree Name: Master of Education in Curriculum and InstructionTuition Cost: $463 per credit hour

9. West Texas A&M University
Degree Name: Master of Education-Instructional Design and TechnologyTuition Cost: $292 per credit hour for residents of Texas; $322 per credit hour for non-residents of Texas

10. Post University
Degree Name: Master of EducationTuition Cost: $18,150 for the entire program

As members of one of the fastest growing fields today, healthcare professionals reap the benefits of stable careers, outstanding salaries, and personally satisfying roles in their communities. Many of those professionals possess a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration, which provides them with the leadership and management skills that are essential to their jobs as nursing directors, healthcare managers, pharmaceutical distributors, and nursing home facilitators everywhere.

Programs for this degree are pursued by students of all ages, and they generally take four years or fewer to complete. For those students, many outstanding institutions offer an online Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration Degree program that meets or exceeds the standards that are set forth by traditional, campus-based colleges and universities.

A school’s accreditation ensures its students that they will receive a quality, comprehensive education. All of the online colleges and universities that are listed below possess regional and/or private accreditation.

In a fast-paced world, the convenience of an online opportunity for educational advancement is priceless. Each of the ten schools listed below offers an online Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration Degree program to qualified applicants.

1. University of Minnesota at Crookston
Degree Name: Bachelor of Science in Health Management
Tuition Cost: $430.77 per credit

Health sciences is a growth industry, and expanding opportunities are available for getting an online degree. An aging population, modern advances in technology, and changes in epidemiology are all factors creating new jobs in health related fields. Hands-on medical jobs, like nursing and medical equipment technician, along with administrative and managerial positions are all projected for growth in coming years.

Online courses and degrees in health sciences are also expanding rapidly in an attempt to keep up with the growing need for new graduates in health related professions. Many people who are already in health industry jobs are using online programs for obtaining graduate degrees and the career advancements that they make possible.

A degree in health science brings the benefit of a wide open field of well paying job opportunities where graduates do important and meaningful work.

Each of these top ten programs has its own admission requirements and prerequisites, but all are accredited and have online health sciences degree programs. Tuition costs are for online programs. The rankings in this list are from the educational honor role of U.S. News and World report and are listed starting with the highest rank.

1. Arizona State University
Bachelor of Applied Science in Health ScienceTuition per credit hour: $442.00 regardless of residency status.

Emergency management personnel are needed for a variety of positions under new homeland security laws and for responding to increasingly severe weather events and natural disasters. Jobs are available in many settings, both government and private.

Colleges and universities are now offering a wide selection of online certificate and degree courses for people already working in the emergency management field, as well as for people looking to start a new career in this growing industry.

Emergency management courses involve classes in subject areas such as English, written composition, public speaking, sociology, crisis decision process, and working with volunteers and staff. The benefits of a degree in emergency management are training for a growing job market and a feeling of satisfaction from helping others during critical times.

7. National Labor College
BS Emergency Readiness and Response ManagementTuition per credit: AFL-CIO Union members and family and Working America Members – $270; Non-AFL-CIO Union members $325.00; non-union members – $480.00

Pursuing a career in the caring profession of nursing is admirable in itself. It also helps alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics states that individuals with masters degrees, especially in healthcare professions, earn among the highest salaries of all industries.

Online masters degrees in nursing provide current nursing professionals with the flexibility and freedom to move forward in their careers while continuing to work. This “Top 10″ list includes schools that have consistently ranked as some of the most prominent names in nursing education.

The highest type of accreditation in the United States is regional accreditation, as it assures nursing students of high quality, professional schools and programs with recognized, authentic degrees. Each school listed holds regional accreditation, along with approval from the Higher Learning Commission. Each online masters degree in nursing program is also highly respected in the medical community.

These are the essential facts for all the online masters degree in nursing programs included in the “Top 10″ list:

1. Johns Hopkins University – Cost: $33,168 per year, full time
Degree Name: Master of Science in Nursing

The Best Online Accounting Degree Programs site, bestonlineaccountingdegree.org, has ranked the Top 10 Best Online Accounting Degree Programs. The site specializes in information about earning an accounting degree online, which can save students a substantial amount on their education and help them to continue their careers while earning a degree.

Best Online Accounting Degree Programs’ Top 10 list comprises both public and private colleges, all of which are also well-rated by other organizations. Featured information about the Top 10 includes tuition costs and special program features.

All of the programs listed offer a quality accounting program that can lead to graduate studies or to a career as a comptroller, internal auditor, chief financial officer and many other positions in business and finance.

Regular health screenings, check-ups, and tests are required by people of all ages, and it is through the dedication, skills, and passion of master’s-level professionals of nursing that those individuals receive those services. These professionals comprise a sector of the healthcare industry that is expected to grow exponentially for many years, and they include neonatal nurses, pediatric nurses, nurse practitioners, and geriatric nurses, among others. Academically, most nurses strive to acquire or already hold a Master’s in Nursing Degree, which provides them with the greatest potentials for career satisfaction as professionals. Programs for the advanced, master’s-level degree are provided through a variety of public, private, online, and campus style institutions to practicing nurses who possess at least a bachelor’s degree, good academic standing, and some experience in their field. Many of those practicing nurses pursue online Master’s in Nursing Degree programs, which provide them with accredited, self-paced opportunities for educational advancement.

When faced with the decision of which online Master’s in Nursing Degree program they should apply to, bachelor’s degree holders in this field are presented with hundreds of colleges and universities of various reputations and qualities. The comprehensive list that is provided below entails the best schools for this advanced degree, and they have been selected based on their rankings and reputations as educational facilities.

Besides reputations and rankings, degree program affordability and flexibility are important characteristics of colleges and universities as well. All of the nursing schools that are described below offer relatively affordable, online Master’s in Nursing Degree programs that can be completed while students still continue to work professionally.